1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an optical matrix switch suitable for a subscriber network through which one optical fiber of an optical fiber group arranged in a plane-form (in a matrix form) is connected and disconnected to another optical fiber of an optical fiber group arranged in a plane-form.
2. Related Background Art
At present, an optical fiber communication system has been propagated to be introduced into a trunk or mainline system, and this communication system requires a new subscriber network using a large number of optical fibers arranged in a substantially plane form, which is different from a conventional network for a point-to-point relay transmission.
A conventional optical matrix switch has been known to have a construction that a number of guide rails are arranged at right angles to one another so as to be confronted to one another, optical fibers are fixed to slide terminals which are slidably movable on the respective guide rails, and the slide terminals are moved to connect any optical fibers to each other ("NONBLOCKING 100.times.100 OPTOMECHANICAL MATRIX SWITCH FOR SUBSCRIBER NETWORKS" by Toshiaki KATAGIRI, Yahei KOYAMADA, Masao TACHIKURA and Yutaka KATSUYAMA, International Wire & Cable Symposium Proceedings 1991, pp. 285-289). This optical matrix switch is so designed that a surplus length of an optical fiber to be supplied to the slide terminal is treated by a fiber-accumulator(surplus-length treating mechanism) disposed at the outside.
The fiber-accumulator has a pair of reels which are disposed on the same plane inside of the fiber-accumulator and urged by a spring in such a direction that these reels are away from each other, and the optical fiber is wound around these reels to thereby perform a surplus-length treatment of the optical fiber.
In the conventional optical matrix switch, the fiber-accumulator is equipped as a separate equipment at the outside of the main body of the optical matrix switch, and thus the whole construction of the device is large in size.